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PKOMISING NEW FRUITS. 427 



in Vernon, Shiawassee County. Among these was the original tree of this 

 variety, which has now borne full and regular crops for more than 10 years, 

 with the exception of two seasons, when the crop was thinned by frost. 1 



This variety belongs to the Fameuse group of apples, as does the 

 Mclntosh, 2 and is commonly supposed to be a seedling of Fameuse, 

 which was a well-known variety in Michigan at the time when 

 Shiawassee originated. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Form oblate, sometimes slightly conical; size medium to large; 

 cavity broad, deep, rather abrupt; stem of medium length, moder- 

 ately stout; basin regular, large, with gradual slope; calyx segments 

 medium, converging, sometimes reflexed at tip ; eye small to medium, 

 open or partially closed; surface smooth; color pale yellow, washed 

 over nearly the entire surface with mixed crimson stripes of purplish 

 red, sometimes thinly overspread with gray; dots rather scattered, 

 usually small, sometimes more conspicuous, grayish or yellowish 

 in color; skin moderately thick, fairly tenacious, sometimes covered 

 with a light bloom; flesh white, sometimes very lightly tinted with 

 red. fine grained, tender, juicy; core conical or oblate conic, clasping, 

 of medium size, open ; flavor subacid, aromatic ; quality very good. 

 Season October to January. 



It has been quite widely though not extensively grown throughout 

 the older apple-producing regions of the Northern States and also 

 in some of the Canadian Provinces. The tree is a strong, upright 

 grower, but the branches become more or less drooping as it attains 

 age. It is more highly esteemed for and is perhaps better adapted 

 to home use than it is for general commercial purposes, but its high 

 quality and attractive appearance, together with its productiveness, 

 make it a variety of more than average merit for northern apple- 

 growing regions. The tree is considered as hardy as the Fameuse, 

 which indicates its adaptability to all but the colder apple regions, 

 It is less susceptible to apple scab than the Fameuse, but sometimes 

 shows a tendency to rot at the core. 



Attention has been more or less directed to the Shiawassee apple in 

 the Bitter Root Valley of Montana in recent years, because of its 

 apparent usefulness in pollenizing the Mclntosh apple, the latter 

 being a leading commercial variety in that region. As its identity 

 in the Bitter Root Valley, however, was unknown until recently, it 

 has been locally propagated there under the name " Missoula." 



The specimen illustrated in Plate LI was grown by H. C. and 

 M. D. Ward, Pontiac, Oakland County, Mich. 



1 Michigan Farmer, Nov. 12, 1859, and Hovey's Magazine of Horticulture, February, 

 1860, p. 64. 



2 For illustration and description, see Yearbook, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture for 1901, 

 p. 383. 



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